Sean Payton

News about Sean Payton, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jan. 23, 2013

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton after suspension of nearly year for his role in bounty scandal. MORE

Jan. 10, 2013

NFL Roundup; New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton signs five-year contract extension that will run through the 2017 season; other football developments noted. MORE

Dec. 7, 2012

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who is serving one-year suspension from football for his part in highly publicized pay-for-performance scandal, appears to be heeding ruling barring him from all contact with his team, but league acknowledges that monitoring his compliance is near impossible; failure to adhere could mean Payton would not be allowed to return to the league. MORE

Apr. 13, 2012

New Orleans Saints name Joe Vitt as interim coach during head coach Sean Payton's 1-year suspension; Vitt must first serve six-game suspension for his part in the team's bounty program. MORE

Apr. 10, 2012

NFL upholds the season-long suspension of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and the shorter suspensions of two other team executives, as the league continues to grapple with the bounty scandal that has overshadowed much of the off-season; Commissioner Roger Goodell rejects a defense that Gregg Williams, who oversaw the system offering money to injure opponents, was a rogue coach. MORE

Apr. 4, 2012

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, assistant Joe Vitt and general manager Mickey Loomis are set for their appeals hearing for punishment connected to team’s bounty system. MORE

Mar. 31, 2012

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who is scheduled to begin a one-year suspension on April 1 for his role in the team’s bounty system, will be allowed to keep working while the decision on his appeal is being expedited. MORE

Mar. 28, 2012

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season amid revelations of a bounty system, publicly addresses for the first time his role in the scandal. MORE

Mar. 25, 2012

New Orleans Saints are scrambling to find an interim coach to replace Sean Payton, who was suspended for the 2012 season for his role in a bounty scandal; Payton must stop working April 1, and is broadly prohibited from being involved in coaching the team. MORE

Mar. 23, 2012

Editorial applauds National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell for suspending New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and penalizing the team for its bounty program of targeting and injuring opponents. MORE

Mar. 23, 2012

NFL Roundup; NFL players union says it wants to conduct its own investigation into the New Orleans Saints' bounty system after commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Saints coach Sean Payton for a year; other news noted. MORE

Mar. 22, 2012

National Football League suspends New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton for one year without pay for his role in the team’s bounty program, which promised money to players if they knocked opponents out of games; penalty reflects a recognition that the league had to take a strong public stand against a football culture seen as a threat to player safety. MORE

Mar. 7, 2012

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton finally acknowledge the NFL's investigation into the team's bounty system, which paid players to injure opponents; issue a statement promising that it will not happen again. MORE

Mar. 3, 2012

Investigation by the NFL finds that the New Orleans Saints maintained a lucrative bounty system that paid players for injuring opponents; bounty system was financed mostly by players, and was administered by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams; neither coach Sean Payton nor general manager Mickey Loomis did anything to stop the bounties; discovery is yet another stain on the NFL's record as it attempts to address safety concerns. MORE